Featured Stories

Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho is cautious about Everton’s threat ahead of their upcoming fixture against the Merseyside club on Saturday.

Chelsea FC host Everton FC at the Stamford Bridge tomorrow as they look to open up the gap at the top. With an early kick-off, the Blues have the opportunity to put pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City with a win over Roberto Martinez’s men. But Jose Mourinho is well aware of the quality of this Everton side, who did beat them in their last meeting earlier this season. Mourinho was full of praise for the Merseyside club and highlighted their threat in counter-attacks. Everton, who are sixth in the table, will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against Tottenham Hotspur and close the gap with the clubs at the top. Chelsea meanwhile are also coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup and a draw against West Brom in their last Premier League outing.

“They are a very good team, they’re playing well and getting good results. They are in a position in the table that reflects the quality of their team and obviously it will be a very difficult match for us.

“They defend well and are dangerous on the counter attack. They have a very experienced midfield with players like Barry and Osman who give them stability to their game. They are a team with good balance and they are a difficult opponent.

“I don’t think statistics play a part, it’s an isolated game and it doesn’t matter what happened in the past. We think we can beat them because we believe in ourselves and we worked hard during the week to be at a good level for the match. We are not influenced negatively or positively about what happened in the past.

Unlike their title rivals, Chelsea didn’t have any midweek Champions League fixture this week and this could prove to be a big advantage while heading into this tough fixture.

“We have to work hard to be back at our level so it was a good week because we could train with all the players together.

“We didn’t have the situation of one group that played and one group that didn’t play. Everyone trained together and that’s important.” – Mourinho added.

Mourinho also expressed his delight at an early kick-off as it enables his team to concentrate immediately on the game after waking up in the morning.

“I like it. You wake up and think immediately about the game. You’re not waiting in a hotel room for the game to arrive; wake up, eat something, team meeting and then go to the game and play. After that, if you’ve done your job, you can enjoy the other games.” – He explained.